BUMPER DEAL MEANS LIVE FOOTBALL FEAST!

More top-flight matches on TV than ever from 2025-26 season ++ £6.7billion deal is a new Premier League record

THE Premier League has confirmed its status as the richest league in the world by agreeing a new domestic TV deal with Sky Sports and TNT Sports worth £ 6.7billion between 2025 and 2029.

In an outcome predicted by Mail Sport when the auction began last month, Sky are the biggest winners, having bought the rights to 215 matches per season, while TNT will show 52 live games and have held on to the primetime Saturday lunchtime slot.

The BBC will also continue to show highlights on Match of the Day for another four years.

The Premier League are thrilled with the new deal, having secured a four per cent increase in the value of their live rights, which no other European competition has achieved, despite limited competition.

Amazon have lost their Premier League matches after six years of providing live coverage and there was only a modest bid from streaming platform DAZN and nothing from Apple TV.

‘The outcome of this process underlines the strength of the Premier League,’ said chief executive Richard Masters.

‘It is testament to our clubs, players and managers, who continue to deliver the world’s most competitive football in full stadiums and to supporters who create an unrivalled atmosphere every week.

‘Sky Sports and TNT Sports are renowned for consistently delivering world- class coverage and programming.

‘ We have enjoyed record audiences and attendances in recent seasons and we know their continued innovation will drive more people to watch and follow the Premier League.’

The league have achieved the rise by selling TV rights for an extra year and significantly increasing the number of live games available, from 200 to 270 each season.

Every match not taking place during the Saturday afternoon 3pm blackout will be shown live, including broadcasting all 10 games simultaneously on the final day of the season.

Sky have snapped up all of the extra games, as well as buying the 20 matches that are currently shown by Amazon. In fact, they will now be showing 80 per cent of the live Premier League matches from 2025.

With TNT keeping the Saturday lunchtime slot and buying two midweek rounds, Sky will broadcast games at 5.30pm on Saturdays, 2pm on Sundays — when several games will be shown simultaneously — the flagship 4.30pm Super Sunday kick-off and a game on a Friday or Monday evening each week, plus three midweek rounds of fixtures.

Sky have also secured 32 first picks, guaranteeing them the biggest games of the season. They are actually paying significantly less per game than under the terms of their existing deal with the league.